In the past, many different types of ratchet wrenches have been developed to rapidly advance a first workpiece such as a nut onto or off of a second workpiece such as a bolt. Of particular interest are two ratchet wrenches described in my patents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,025 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,940. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,025 discloses an improved ratchet wrench that has a selectable ratcheting action to rotate an annular driver member in either direction by angularly moving an elongated handle. This ratchet wrench includes a three position ratchet pawl switch that has a first position to effect ratcheting action in one direction, a second position to effect ratcheting action in the opposite direction and a third position to effect disengagement of the ratcheting action. A drive shaft is slidably and rotatably disposed within a bore of the handle and extends outwardly from a distal end of the handle so that the annular driver member can be rotated in either direction when the ratchet pawl switch is in the third position. The pawl is pivotally connected within a housing of the ratchet wrench by a pivot pin. A select one of a pair of shoulders engages peripheral teeth of the annular driver member. Since the length of the peripheral teeth of the annular driver member is greater than the length of each of the shoulders of the pawl element, only a portion of the peripheral teeth is utilized to effect ratcheting action. A spring ball assembly cooperates with a pair of annular grooves formed into the drive shaft to resiliently retain the drive shaft either in a ratcheting condition or a condition disengaged from the ratcheting condition. A set screw fasten to the housing of the ratchet wrench retains the spring ball assembly therein in its working state. A sleeve carrying a pair of beveled gears and a disk element is slidably received onto and connected to an end portion of the drive shaft within the housing of the ratchet wrench. The sleeve is secured to the end portion of the drive shaft by a second set screw.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,940 discloses a ratchet wrench having features similar to the ratchet wrench described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,025. However, my U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,940 describes a ratchet wrench having a socket release mechanism. The socket release mechanism enables the annular driver member to engage and disengage a socket by linearly urging the drive shaft into the handle and the cavity of the housing. A first portion of the shaft is circular in cross-section and extends through and outwardly of the handle. A second portion of the drive shaft extends into a cavity of the housing and has a square cross-section or a rounded cross-section with a slot and key arrangement so that a sleeve having a pair of beveled gears and a disk element can rotate simultaneously with the drive shaft. The second portion of the drive shaft slidably receives the sleeve. The sleeve houses a spring which resiliently biases the sleeve into the cavity of the housing and the drive shaft outwardly of the handle. The end of the drive shaft extending into the cavity of the housing includes a conically-shaped element which contacts a plunger of the socket release mechanism. When the drive shaft is resiliently urged into the handle and cavity, the conically-shaped element urges the plunger into a central opening formed in the annular driver member to cause a ball to recess therein, thus, releasing the socket.
Despite the advantages associated with the ratchet wrenches described in my patents, neither of the ratchet wrenches is sealed. Thus, unwanted materials, such as dust particles and water, can infiltrate the cavity of the housing and the bore of the handle. Due to the variety of features of my ratchet wrenches, the pawl element is diminished in thickness at the shoulders which limits the torque which can be applied without shearing the ratchet teeth from the annular driver member or the shoulders from the pawl element. Further, a pin is used so that the pawl element can pivot within the cavity of the housing, and such pins can wear out and sometimes break. Also, the biasing element positions the pawl element in either a first or a second ratchet condition. The biasing element is unable to resiliently retain the pawl element in a disengaged condition from the annular driver member. These ratchet wrenches rely upon a disk element to retain the pawl element in the disengaged condition. Also, the release mechanism described in my patent releases a retention force applied radially against the socket. The socket must then be either shaken from the stubshaft or removed by hand.
There is a need in the industry to provide a ratchet wrench which is simple to construct and assemble yet provide the advantages and features of the ratchet wrenches described hereinabove. It would be advantageous if such a ratchet wrench can be manufactured with a minimum of components such as by eliminating pivot pins and set screws. Also, there is a need in the industry to provide a more rugged ratchet wrench without limiting the features and benefits of currently existing ratchet wrenches. It would be advantageous if the length of the peripheral teeth of the annular driver member and the length of each shoulder of the pawl element be equal so that they can be fully engaged when operative. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides these advantages.